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UPSC SYLLABUS FOR PRELIMINARY EXAM

Paper I - (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

1. Current events of national and international importance2. History of India and Indian National Movement3. Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World4. Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights

Issues, etc5. Economic and Social Development - Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics,

Social Sector Initiatives, etc6. General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require

subject specialization7. General Science.

Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

1. Comprehension2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills;3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability4. Decision making and problem solving5. General mental ability6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc) (Class X level), Data

interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. -Class X level)7. English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level)

PAPER-I

General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture,History and Geography of the World and Society.

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of ArtForms, Literature and Architecture from ancientto modern times.

Modern Indian history from about the middle ofthe eighteenth century until the present-significant events, personalities, issues

SYLLABUS FOR GS MAINS (COMPULSORY PAPERS)

The Freedom Struggle - its various stages andimportant contributors /contributions fromdifferent parts of the country.

Post-independence consolidation andreorganization within the country.

History of the world will include events from18th century such as industrial revolution, worldwars, redrawal of national boundaries,colonization, decolonization, politicalphilosophies like communism, capitalism,socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.

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Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity ofIndia.

Role of women and women's organization,population and associated issues, poverty anddevelopmental issues, urbanization, theirproblems and their remedies.

Effects of globalization on Indian society Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism

& secularism. Salient features of world's physical geography. Distribution of key natural resources across the

world (including South Asia and the Indiansubcontinent); factors responsible for the locationof primary, secondary, and tertiary sectorindustries in various parts of the world (includingIndia)

Important Geophysical phenomena such asearthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cycloneetc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features(including water bodies and ice-caps) and in floraand fauna and the effects of such changes.

PAPER-II

General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution,Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

Indian Constitution- historical under pinnings,evolution, features, amendments, significantprovisions and basic structure.

Functions and responsibilities of the Union andthe States, issues and challenges pertaining to thefederal structure, devolution of powers andfinances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Separation of powers between various organsdispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.

Comparison of the Indian constitutional schemewith that of other countries

Parliament and State Legislatures - structure,functioning, conduct of business, powers &privileges and issues arising out of these.

Structure, organization and functioning of theExecutive and the Judiciary Ministries andDepartments of the Government; pressure groupsand formal/informal associations and their rolein the Polity.

Salient features of the Representation of People'sAct.

Appointment to various Constitutional posts,powers, functions and responsibilities of variousConstitutional Bodies.

Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicialbodies

Government policies and interventions fordevelopment in various sectors and issues arisingout of their design and implementation.

Development processes and the developmentindustry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groupsand associations, donors, charities, institutionaland other stakeholders.

Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of thepopulation by the Centre and States and theperformance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws,institutions and Bodies constituted for theprotection and betterment of these vulnerablesections.

Issues relating to development and management ofSocial Sector/Services relating to Health, Education,Human Resources. Issues relating to poverty andhunger.

Important aspects of governance, transparencyand accountability, e-governance- applications,models, successes, limitations, and potential;citizens charters, transparency & accountabilityand institutional and other measures.

Role of civil services in a democracy.

India and its neighborhood- relations.

Bilateral, regional and global groupings andagreements involving India and/or affectingIndia's interests

Effect of policies and politics of developed anddeveloping countries on India's interests, Indiandiaspora.

Important International institutions, agencies andfora- their structure, mandate.

PAPER-III

General Studies-III: Technology, EconomicDevelopment, Bio diversity, Environment, Security andDisaster Management.

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning,mobilization of resources, growth, developmentand employment.

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Government Budgeting. Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of

the country, different types of irrigation andirrigation systems storage, transport and marketingof agricultural produce and issues and relatedconstraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.


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Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidiesand minimum support prices; Public DistributionSystem- objectives, functioning, limitations,revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security;Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.

Food processing and related industries in India-scope and significance, location, upstream anddownstream requirements, supply chainmanagement.

Land reforms in India. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes

in industrial policy and their effects on industrialgrowth.

Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railwaysetc.

Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their

applications and effects in everyday life. Achievements of Indians in science & technology;

indigenization of technology and developing newtechnology.

Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers,robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology andissues relating to intellectual property rights.

Conservation, environmental pollution anddegradation, environmental impact assessment

Disaster and disaster management. Linkages between development and spread of

extremism. Role of external state and non-state actors in

creating challenges to internal security. Challenges to internal security through

communication networks, role of media and socialnetworking sites in internal security challenges,basics of cyber security; money-laundering andits prevention.

Security challenges and their management inborder areas; linkages of organized crime withterrorism.

Various Security forces and agencies and theirmandate.

PAPER-IV

General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

This paper will include questions to test thecandidates' attitude and approach to issues relating to

integrity, probity in public life and his problem solvingapproach to various issues and conflicts faced by himin dealing with society. Questions may utilise the casestudy approach to determine these aspects. Thefollowing broad areas will be covered.

Ethics and Human Interface: Essence,determinants and consequences of Ethics inhuman actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics inprivate and public relationships. Human Values -lessons from the lives and teachings of greatleaders, reformers and administrators; role offamily, society and educational institutions ininculcating values.

Attitude: content, structure, function; its influenceand relation with thought and behaviour; moraland political attitudes; social influence andpersuasion.

Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship,objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy,tolerance and compassion towards theweakersections.

Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilitiesand application in administration andgovernance.

Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophersfrom India and world.

Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Publicadministration: Status and problems; ethicalconcerns and dilemmas in government and privateinstitutions; laws, rules, regulations andconscience as sources of ethical guidance;accountability and ethical governance;strengthening of ethical and moral values ingovernance; ethical issues in internationalrelations and funding; corporate governance.

Probity in Governance: Concept of public service;Philosophical basis of governance and probity;Information sharing and transparency ingovernment, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics,Codes of Conduct, Citizen's Charters, Work culture,Quality of service delivery, Utilization of publicfunds, challenges of corruption.

Case Studies on above issues.


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GS: Integrated Approach

Since 2011 UPSC has changed the number ofquestions, patterns, issues, in prelims paper. Thepaper concentrates more on concepts related togeneral awareness i.e. what we see around us. Thequestion that arises now is - "How to prepare?"

First of all, you need to give up traditionalapproach in order to take fresh challenges. More timeshould be devoted to current affairs. Vastness ofGeneral Studies is like an ocean. It cannot bemeasured merely on the basis of topics or sections.Anything that exists in the universe can be a part ofGeneral Studies, especially if that is in the news.Aspirants for Civil Services Examination must beaware of this fact. Its vastness often leads todirectionless preparation. But understanding of thetrend helps in carving proper focus. To tame thedreaded Demon of GS, candidates must, first of all,select important areas and then go for extensive study.Reason behind this argument is the vastness of thesyllabus and changing configuration of questions.

General Studies (GS) in the Civil ServicesExamination has always been a difficult portion tohandle for the aspirants - for the Preliminary Test(PT) and the Main Examination, both. Changinglandscape of the exam has given more weightage tothe GS. The new syllabus has made things evenmore difficult. Poor performances in the PT and lowmarks in the Main are the general complaints amongthe aspirants. An attempt is being made here to pin-point the reasons behind it along with the possibleremedies for the same:1. Syllabus: The basic problem that aspirants' face

is about the syllabus. The GS syllabus providedby the commission is not in detail as only hintshave been given and the devil lies in details.Thus, aspirants need to make out the real syllabusfrom the previous years' questions; it is the onlyway out. One caution needs to be taken here - one

must not depend hundred per cent on the trendsof the questions asked in previous examinationsas it might be disastrous.

2. Being selective: One very important aspect of GSpreparation that every aspirant should know isthat the approach to GS is quite different from theapproach while preparing for Optionals for mains.

3. Understanding of concepts: The pattern of paperhas become quite conceptual, the superficialknowledge of topics or current headings will notwork until you understands the basic conceptbehind that topic. Facts along with concepts canhelp in IAS paper as for example instead of asking'who is the head of any committee' they ask aboutits recommendations. Thus overall knowledgeabout topic is needed.

4. The Integrated Plan: Integrated approach toprepare GS is highly helpful and effective forCSAT. But what this "integrated approach" is allabout? The integrated approach to GS is a way ofpreparing for GS in such a manner that the samefacts and information are used by the aspirantsfour times - in PT, Main, Essay and the Interview.Usually, aspirants think to prepare for all theabove-cited schemes of the examination, separatelyand finally, they end-up in utter confusion. Twoimportant things every aspirant shouldknow are

(i) G.S., though it contains many sections, shouldnot be taken as a fragmented scheme- they arehighly inter-connected. GS is all about thefundamentals of life for an aware human beingliving in any society and who is a Graduate.Relevant aspects of such fundamentals con-stitute general studies.

(ii) Same facts and information can be utilized indifferent manner - when they are used withobjective clarity, it is PT; when used with

GS: INTEGRATED APPROACH


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subjective understanding plus writing skilland preciseness, it is Main; if the Main exami-nation is repeated in detail but in a systematicway and on any one topic it becomes the Essay;and if spoken with art of good personalitytraits they become the Interview.

This is why an integrated approach to GS shouldbe followed by the aspirants. This does not only savethe precious time of the aspirants but also enablesthem to have the proper understanding of the GS,Essay and Interview besides keeping them away fromthe confusion that GS usually creates. The recentintroduction of negative marking puts premium onprecision and originality. Dumped-down informationkills your creativity and blunts your preparation andmars your chances of success. Practice as manyMultiple Choice Questions as possible. But there arenot too many authentic practice papers around andthis makes the task tougher.

Geography

When it comes to getting through IAS exams,Geography, as a part of General Studies, does play agreat role. The reason is that it has high weightage inMains exam and is also extremely important forPrelims. But furthermore, it can make GS extremelyhigh scoring if prepared according to a judicious plan.

How to study Geography for Prelims?

The syllabus notified by UPSC states that paper Iof the CSAT will comprise of Physical, Social andEconomic Geography of India and the World. Moreemphasis will be on Geography of India. Questionson Geography of India may include the main featuresof Indian agricultural and natural resources.

The emphasis, during the studies, should be onstrengthening the basic knowledge. As Geography(particularly physical geography) is quite close tobeing a physical science, students must try to look forproper understanding of different phenomena.

From Indian Geography, there are some key areasto focus upon. These include the Physical Geographyof India, Agriculture, Irrigation, Demography, Census,Industries and Mineral Resources of India.

Questions from Indian rivers have become a habitof the UPSC. In past three to four years questions from

rivers have been asked without any gap. Here are afew questions from them:

1. Consider the following pairs:

National Park River flowingthrough the Park

I. Corbett National Park : GangaII. Kaziranga National Park: Manas

III. Silent Valley National Park :Kavari

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) I and II (b) III only(c) I and III (d) None

2. The Narmada river flows to the west, while mostother large peninsular rivers flow to the east. Why?

1. It occupies a linear rift valley.2. It flows between the Vindhyas and the

Satpuras.3. The land slopes to the west from Cantral India.

Select the correct answer using the codes givenbelow.

(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3(c) 1 and 3 (d) None

3. Rivers that pass through Himachal Pradesh are:

(a) Beas and Chenab only(b) Beas and Ravi only(c) Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej only(d) Beas, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Yamuna

4. Which one of the following rivers does notoriginate in India?

(a) Beas (b) Chenab(c) Ravi (d) Sutlej

5. At which of the following places do two importantrivers of India originate; while one of them flowstowards north and merges with another importantriver flowing towards Bay of Bengal, the otherone flow towards Arabian Sea?

(a) Amarkantak (b) Badrinath(c) Mahabaleshwar (d) Nasik

6. Consider the following pairs:

Tributary River Main River1. Chambal : Narmada2. Sone : Yamuna3. Manas : Brahmaputra


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Which of the pairs given above is/are correctlymatched?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 3 only

Students should also study maps/atlas. Wheneveryou read any news, try to look for the associatedplace in the atlas. Map study should also includelooking for important geographical points pertainingespecially to the map of India. A recent example is:

1. The latitudes that pass through Sikkim also passthrough

(a) Rajasthan (b) Punjab(c) Himachal Pradesh(d)Jammu & Kashmir

Passage of important geographical lines like Tropicof Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and Equator throughimportant places should be known with respect toboth India and World. The question about the rivercrossing the equator twice has been asked but theIndian River crossing the tropic of Cancer twice hasnot been asked. So these aspects must be kept inmind.

After analyzing six years questions including2013; new emerging trends are:A. Number of questions from the demographic and

cultural perspective has increased a lot

For example:

Q. Consider the following pairs:

Tribe State

1. Limboo (Limbu) : Sikkim2. Karbi : Himachal Pradesh3. Dongaria Kondh : Odisha4. Bonda : Tamil NaduWhich of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 3 only (b) 2 and 4 only(c) 1, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

B. There is larger emphasis on the physicalgeography, Resources (in particular Minerals) andAgricultural Geography of India.

For example:

Q. Which of the following statements regardinglaterite soils of India are correct?

(1) They are generally red in colour.(2) They are rich in nitrogen and potash.

(3) They are well-developed in Rajasthan and UP.(4) Tapioca and cashew nuts grow well on these

soils.Select the correct answer using the codes givenbelow.

(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 2, 3 only 4(c) 1 and 4 (d) 2 and 3 only

Q. Consider the following statements:

(1) Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds.(2) Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma.(3) Dharwars are famous for petroleum.Which of the statements given above is/arecorrect?

(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only (d) None

Q. Consider the following crops:

(1) Cotton (2) Groundnut(3) Rice (4) Wheat

Which of these are Kharif crops?


(a) 1 and 4 (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) 2, 3 and 4

C. Each year at least two questions are being askedbased on Atlas.

For example:

Q. Which one of the following pairs correctlymatched?

Geographical Feature Region

1. Abyssinian Plateau : Arabia

2. Atlas Mountains : North-Western Af-rica

3. Guiana Highlands : South-Western Africa

4. Okayango Basin : Patagonia

D. Questions from the applied field and the currentbased questions are on an increase.

It means that if a major event occurs at any place,students should be ready with the knowledge of thegeography related to that place. For example, if anyplace, river, dam, etc. has been in news, studentsmust be aware of it and he must give special heed tocarefully cover the geographical aspects of such newsmatters.


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For example, as the Tehri dam was in news so thequestion asked was:Q. On which one of the following rivers is the Tehri

Hydropower Complex located?

(a) Alaknanda (b) Bhagirathi(c) Dhauliganga (d) Mandakini

For example, water crisis is increasing day by dayand it has become a primary concern so the questionwas asked.

Q. On the planet earth, most of the glaciers. Out ofthe remaining freshwater, the largest proportion

(a) is found in atmosphere as moisture and clouds

(b) is found in freshwater lakes and rivers

(c) exists as groundwater(d) exists as soil moisture

The important books that must be read to covergeography in order to crack the prelims are: NCERT(Class 6 to 12) and GC Leong. Apart from these anAtlas (Orient/Oxford/TTK) is a must.

Environmental Issues

Environmental Sciences are not only gettingattention by the environmentalists but they arebecoming important in the realm of Civil ServicesExaminations too. General Studies turn out to be quitea decisive factor for achieving success in IAS examsand the recent inclination of UPSC towardsenvironmental issues in GS questions is quiteconspicuous.

The syllabus for prelims states that the Paper Iwill comprise of General issues on EnvironmentalEcology, Bio-Diversity and Climate Change.

The statement issued by the Ministry clearly statesthat the examination does not require subjectspecialization; the test is of the awareness of thestudent about his surroundings. So the main courseof action for the preparation of this subject includesreading some journals like that of National Instituteof Ecology and State of Environment Report. Apartfrom this surfing on the internet about recentdevelopments in the field can help a lot.

Below are some of the questions pertaining toenvironmental issues asked in recent years:Q. Which one of the following terms describes not

only the physical space occupied by an organism,but also its functional role in the community oforganisms?

(a) Ecotone (b) Ecological niche(c) Habitat (d) Home range

Q. With reference to food chains in ecosystems,consider the following statements:1. A food chain illustrates the order in which a

chain of organisms feed upon each other.2. Food chains are found within the population

of a species.3. A food chain illustrates the numbers of each

organism which are eaten by others.Which of the statements given above is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only(c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) None

Q. Photochemical smog is a resultant of the reactionamong(a) NO2, O3, and peroxyacetyl nitrate in the

presence of sunlight.(b) CO, O2 and peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence

of sunlight.(c) CO, CO2, and NO2 at low temperature.(d) High concentration of NO2, O3 and CO in the

evening.Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Biodiversity hotspots are located only intropical regions.

2. India has four bio-diversity hotspots i.e.Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas,Western Ghats and Andaman and NicobarIslands.

Which of the statements given above is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) neither 1 nor 2

Q. Consider the following statements:1. The Taxus tree naturally found in the

Himalayas.2. The Taxus tree is listed in the Red Data Book.3. A drug called 'taxol' is obtained from Taxus

tree is effective against Parkinson's disease.Which of the statements given above is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Consider the following pairs:Protected Area Well Known for

1. Bhitarkanika, Orissa - Salt Water Crocodile2. Desert National Park - Great Indian Bustard3. Eravikulam, Kerala - Hoolak Gibbon

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctlymatched?

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3


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Q. India is a party to the Ramsar Convention andhas declared many areas as Ramsar Sites.

Which of the following statements best describesas to how we should maintain these sites in thecontext of this Convention?

(a) Keep all the sites completely inaccessible toman so that they will not be exploited.

(b) Conserve all the sites through ecosystemapproach and permit tourism and recreationonly.

(c) Conserve all the sites through ecosystemapproach for a period without anyexploitation, with specific criteria and specificperiod for each site, and then allow sustainableuse of them by future generations.

(d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystemapproach and allow their simultaneousSustainable use.


1. Salt-water crocodile is found in the Andamanand Nicobar Islands.

2. Shrew and tapir are found in the WesternGhats of the Malabar region.

Which of the statements given above is/arecorrect?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Recent year questions indicate that biodiversityhas gained an advantage over the core academicknowledge of ecosystems. The students must try toassimilate as much knowledge as possible about thespecies in endangered list with more emphasis onthose belonging to the Indian Territory. Also wet-lands of India under Ramsar convention should beknown to the students. With these simple endeavours,you can score good score in GS.

Polity and GovernanceThe candidate after clearing the Civil Services

exam becomes a part and parcel of the administration.Thus, it is necessary that one should know how thesystem works and functions of its various institutionsand their contribution to the society. Hence it isimperative that one should have a clear and deeperunderstanding of the subject as a whole.

Indian Polity is one of the important topics of theGeneral Studies for Civil Services exam. In the new

syllabus since 2011 it is mentioned as polity andgovernance. So candidates have to follow properstrategy to prepare Indian Polity.

Earlier preparation for the Preliminary and MainExaminations were totally different, the former testedthe factual premises and the later checked theanalytical premises. But, the new syllabus demandsan integrated approach for both Prelims and Mains.According to the new trends of UPSC there is anecessity to study Indian Polity along with overallgovernance of the country.

Of course Indian Constitutional topics likePreamble, Nature of Constitution, Fundamental Rightsand DPSPs, Union Executive, Union Parliament, StateExecutive and Legislature, Judiciary, Centre-StateRelations etc form the core of Indian Polity. Apartfrom this several challenges to Indian democracy arealso becoming one of the preferred areas of UPSC, forexample Communalism, Regionalism, Caste Politics,Internal Security, Criminalization of politics,Corruption, Population, Poverty, Unemployment, etc.In addition to this, contemporary issues like GoodGovernance, Role of IT in administration, Civil Society,Right to Information, Electoral Reforms, Role ofPressure Groups, Energy and Food Security,Environment and Sustainable development, etc. arealso important.

Prelims examination not only requires conceptualclarity but also the applied part of it. Some of thepreparation tips for the Prelims exam are:

One should be thorough in facts and also theconceptual part of it.

The conceptual clarity helps to solve the analyti-cal question asked from this section.

According to the earlier trends, it was easy toattempt maximum number of questions from thissection because generally questions from this sec-tion were direct and based on factual information.Almost 90% of the questions are asked from theconstitutional provisions and the remaining partusually covers the current affairs. But, now thenature of questions has changed. Along with fac-tual information one should cover the current po-litical developments. Therefore, one should bethorough with the current political developmentsin the country.


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Practicing previous year questions will help youto find out the areas where you commit mistakes.

Atleast once read the bare act thoroughly to un-derstand the small facts & concepts related totopic.

Below are some question pertaining to polityand governance asked in UPSC exam in recent years:

Q. 'Economic Justice' as one of the objectives of theIndian Constitution has been provided in

(a) the Preamble and the fundamental Rights

(b) the Preamble and the Directive Principles ofState Policy

(c) the Fundamental Rights and the DirectivePrinciples of State Policy

(d) None of the above

Q. According to the Constitution of India, which ofthe following are fundamental for the governanceof the country?

(a) Fundamental Rights

(b) Fundamental Duties

(c) Directive Principles of State Policy

(d) Fundamental Rights and Fundamental duties

Q. What will follow if a Money Bill is substantiallyamended by the Rajya Sabha?

(a) The Lok Sabha may still proceed with the Bill,accepting or not accepting therecommendation of the Rajya Sabha

(b) The Lok Sabha cannot consider the Bill further

(c) The Lok Sabha may send the Bill to the RajyaSabha for reconsideration

(d) The President may call a joint sitting forpassing the Bill

Q. Which one of the following statements is correct?

(a) In India, the same person cannot be appointedas Governor for two or more States at the sametime.

(b) The Judges of the High Court of the States inIndia are appointed by the Governor of theState just as the Judges of the Supreme Courtare appointed by the President

(c) No procedure has been laid down in theConstitution of India for the removal of aGovernor from his/her post

(d) In the case of a Union Territory having alegislative setup, the Chief Minister is

appointed by the Lt. Governor on the basis ofmajority support

Q. Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other TraditionalForest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act,2006, who shall be the authority to initiate theprocess for determining the nature and extent ofindividual or community forest rights or both?

(a) State Forest Department

(b) District Collector/Deputy Commissioner

(c) Tahsildar/Block Development Officer/Mandal Revenue Officer

(d) Gram Sabha

Q. The Government enacted the Panchayat Extensionto Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act in 1996. Whichone of the following is not identified as itsobjective?

(a) To provide self-governance

(b) To recognize traditional rights

(c) To create autonomous regions in tribal areas

(d) To free tribal people from exploitation

Some Important areas are:

1. Fundamental Rights,

2. Directive Principles of State Policy,

3. President, Governor, Speaker,

4. Judiciary - Supreme Court, High Court and Judi-cial Activism

5. Constitutional Bodies - Election Commission,Comptroller and Auditor General, UPSC,

6. Centre-State Relations, President's Rule

7. Political developments in the Union and State

8. Local Self-Government,

9. All Non- Constitutional bodies - National HumanRights Commission, National Commission forMinorities, National Commission for Women,National Commission for SCs, National Commis-sion for STs, etc.

10. Recent Constitutional Amendments,

11. Recent Bills passed in the Parliament.

HistoryIndian history comprises of Ancient, Medieval and

Modern India. It forms one of the important sectionsin the General Studies Preliminary Paper-1. If onescans through the last few years' papers, one will see


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that out of 100 questions asked in GS; almost 15questions were from Indian History. However, nowmore questions are being asked from Modern India.So, going by the trend, one needs to pay specialattention on Modern India especially on the eventsafter 1885, i.e., after the formation of the Congress.

Seeing the number of questions, an aspirant maythink of skipping the History questions, but then thiswill be at high cost. It is because, firstly, an aspirantcan be very selective. That is one can solely focus onModern India. Secondly, the numbers of books to beread are less. An aspirant can just solve the Historyquestions by referring NCERT of 12th Class andSpectrum's Modern India. Thirdly, the nature of thequestions asked is more direct compared to othersections of GS Paper 1.

For example

Q. The people of India agitated against the arrival ofSimon Commission because

(a) Indians never wanted the review of theworking of the Act of 1919

(b) Simon Commission recommended theabolition of Dyarchy (Diarchy) in the Provinces

(c) There was no Indian member in the SimonCommission

(d) The Simon Commission suggested thepartition of the country

Q. Quit India Movement was launched in responseto

(a) Cabinet Mission Plan

(b) Cripps Proposals

(c) Simon Commission Report

(d) Wavell Plan

Q. During the Indian Freedom Struggle, who of thefollowing has raised an army called 'Free IndianLegion'?

(a) Lala Hardayal

(b) Rashbehari Bose

(c) Subhas Chandra Bose

(d) V.D.Savarkar

Q. With reference to Indian freedom struggle, UshaMehta is well-known for

(a) Running the secret Congress Radio in thewake of Quit India Movement.

(b) Participating in the Second Round TableConference.

(c) Leading a contingent of Indian National Army.

(d) Assisting in the formation of InterimGovernment under Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

However, some questions are more comprehen-sive in coverage, more logical and more analytical.

For example:

Q. With reference to the period of colonial rule inIndia, "Home -Charges" formed an important partof drain of wealth from India. Which of thefollowing funds constituted "Home Charges"?

1. Funds used to support the India Office inLondon.

2. Funds used to pay salaries and pensions ofBritish personnel engaged in India.

3. Funds used for waging wars outside India bythe British.

Select the correct answer using the codes givenbelow:

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Nowadays Indian Art, Architecture and Culturehave also become integral part of history. In 2013exam more than 5 Question were related to thissegment.

For example:

Q. Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas,while the others are called Viharas. What is thedifference between the two?

(a) Vihara is a place of worship, while Chaitya isthe dwelling place of the monks

(b) Chitya is a place of worship, while Vihara isthe dwelling place of the monks

(c) Chaitya is the stupa at the far end of the cave,while Vihara is the hall axial to it

(d) There is no material difference between thetwo

Q. In the context of cultural history of India, a posein dance and dramatics called 'Tribhanga' hasbeen a favourite of Indian artists from ancienttimes till today. Which one of the followingstatements best describes this pose?

(a) One leg is bent and the body is slightly butoppositely curved at waist and neck


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(b) Facial expressions, hand gestures and make-up are combined to symbolize certain epic orhistoric characters

(c) Movements of body, face and hands are usedto express oneself or to tell a story

(d) A little smile, slightly curved waist and certainhand gestures are emphasized to express thefeelings of love or eroticism.

Q. Which of the following statements is/areapplicable to Jain doctrine?

1. The surest way of annihilating Karma is topractice penance.

2. Every object, even the smallest particle has asoul.

3. Karma is the bane of the soul and must beended.



(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. With reference to the history of Indian rock-cutarchitecture, consider the following statements:

1. The caves at Badami are the oldest survivingrock-cut caves in India.

2. The Barabar rock-cut caves were originallymade for Ajivikas by Emperor ChandraguptaMaurya.

3. At Ellora, caves were made for different faiths.



(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. With reference to the history of philosophicalthought in India, consider the following statementsregarding Sankhya school:

1. Sankhya does not accept the theory of rebirthor transmigration of soul.

2. Sankhya holds that it is the self-knowledgethat leads to liberation and not any exteriorinfluence or agent.



(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) neither 1 nor 3

Economic & Social-Development

In the PT examination the weightage of Economyand Socio-economic development is increasing.

If you analyze 2013 year question paper you willfind that about half of the questions on Economy andSocial Development came from the basics like Inflation.Deficit financing and the other half came from thelatest development.

Economics is such an inter-disciplinary facultythat to master this art you will have to know"something" of "everything". And this "something"cannot be taken trivially as it denotes the mostimportant and latest development in the area offinance, world economy and how all that goes on toaffect India. Economics is vast and there are similarother subjects that you have to be master-of.

Now, comes the logical question on how you canutilize your time in a most optimum manner so thatthe Return on Investment could be optimized (RoI,using economical lingo) i.e. here investment denotesthe scarce commodity that you have and that beingtime?

India's growth motto is "inclusive growth" and ifyou analyse these two words you can get the answerto your question regarding the contours of syllabus."Inclusive growth" means that you can expect questionsfrom the entire important positive interventionprogramme that has been undertaken by thisgovernment. Surely it does not only includegovernment terms that have become clichs likeMNREGA, SSA, MMS but you should also be familiarto the some extent to the terms like Social audit,Outcome Budgeting, Zero Budgeting, Midterm survey,Baseline survey, etc.

In a nutshell now the domain of this faculty hasbecome all the more interesting. Now rather thanexpecting 'evergreen' questions based on the definitionof inflation (which will always be 'evergreen') youcan expect questions like inflation affecting thereal rate of return on "aam aadmi" asset. Certainly allthat is related to sustainable development and carbontrading will gain ground as far as this year's questionis concerned seeing the amount of coverage it is gettingin the national and international media. Thus questionwill become more practically inclined which requiresyou to be up-to date with the latest happening in thearea of national development.


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Conclusively, we can say that a general approachof the subject is required and more important is theconceptual clarity as the questions particularly ofeconomics are seldom straightforward. It is alsoimportant to know that some of the topics like inflation,WPI , Doha, GATT , questions related to budget (asbudget is passed just two months prior to exam) andbanking questions are evergreen topics for the questionsetters. And it will remain 'evergreen' without doubt.

Below are some questions pertaining to Economyand social development asked in UPSC exam inrecent years:Q. The balance of payments of a country is a

systematic record of(a) all import and export transactions of a country

during a given period of time, normally a year(b) goods exported from a country during a year(c) economic transaction between the government

of one country to another(d) capital movements from one country to another

Q. The Reserve Bank of India regulates thecommercial banks in matters of1. Liquidity of assets 2. Branch expansion3. Merger of banks 4. Winding-up of banks

Select the correct answer using the codes givenbelow.(a) 1 and 4 only (b) 2, 3 and 4 only(c) 1, 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q. Priority Sector lending by banks in Indiaconstitutes the lending to(a) Agriculture (b) micro and small

enterprises(c) Weaker sections (d) All of the above

Q. Which one of the following is likely to be the mostinflationary in its effect?(a) Repayment of public debt(b) Borrowing from the public to finance a budget

deficit(c) Borrowing from banks to finance a budget

deficit(d) Creating new money to finance a budget deficit

Q. Which of the following grants/grant direct creditassistance to rural households?1. Regional Rural Banks2. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural

Development3. Land Development Banks


(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

General Science

General Science, just by the virtue of being science,can enable anyone to get the extra margin required forbeing comfortable after the preliminary examination.General Science, in general, has more to do with theclarity of concepts and their understanding than withthe rote memorization of the facts.

Questions under General Science would, likeprevious year trends, include Physics, Chemistry andBiology. Emphasis would be given on Biologyespecially on Human physiology, Nutrition andDiseases. The only change that seems is that thenumber of the questions from the field of science hasincreased as the new pattern is more inclined towardsthe application of knowledge.

Questions on General Science may cover generalappreciation and understanding of science includingmatters of everyday observation and experience, asmay be expected of a well educated person who hasnot made a special study of any particular scientificdiscipline. Among the branches of General Science,Chemistry gets least importance and Biology getsmaximum importance. This trend is most likely tocontinue

In Physics, almost all the questions might beapplication oriented. Thus, understanding the basicprinciples is very important, since UPSC has a habitof asking questions which are backed by some basicprinciples. Areas like Newton's laws, Laws ofthermodynamics, Heat, Sound, Law of Optics, andNuclear Physics etc are important areas. One must bekeen to know about the practical application ofanything that one reads in the syllabus.

For example, in previous years the questionsasked from Physics were:

Q. Ball bearings are used in bicycles, cars, etc.,because

(a) the actual area of contact between the wheeland axle is increased

(b) the effective area of contact between the wheeland axle is increase

(c) the effective area of contact between the wheeland axle is reduced

(d) None of the above statements is correct


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Q. Consider the following phenomena:

1. Size of the sun at dusk2. Colour of the sun at dawn3. Moon being visible at dawn4. Twinkle of stars in the sky5. Polestar being visible in the sky

Which of the above are optical illusions?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 3, 4 and 5(c) 1, 2 and 4 (d) 2, 3 and 5

Q. Rainbow is produced when sunlight falls on dropsof rain. Which of the following physicalphenomena are responsible for this?

1. Dispersion 2. Refraction

3. Internal reflection


(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. What is the principle by which a cooling system(Radiator) in a motor car works?

(a) Conduction only

(b) Convection

(c) Radiation only

(d) Both Conduction and Radiation

Q. If a potato is placed on a pure paper plate whichis white and unprinted and put in a microwaveoven, the potato heats up but the paper plate doesnot. This is because:

(a) Potato is mainly made up of starch whereaspaper is mainly made up of cellulose.

(b) Potato transmits microwaves whereas paperreflects microwaves.

(c) Potato contains water whereas paper does notcontain water.

(d) Potato is a fresh organic material whereaspaper is a dead organic material.

Q. Consider the following:

1. Bluetooth device 2. Cordless phone

3. Microwave oven 4. Wi-Fi device

Which of the above can operate between 2.4 and2.5 GHz range of radio frequency band?

(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

All the above questions are based upon thescientific principles which are applied to thephenomena of daily use.

Many questions are asked from the field of spacescience, robotics and other fields of applied sciencesespecially related to current affairs.

For example :

Q. The efforts to detect the existence of Higgs bosonparticle have become frequent news in the recentpast. What is/are the importance of discoveringthis particle?

1. It will enable us to understand as to whyelementary particles have mass.

2. It will enable us in the near future to developthe technology of transferring matter from onepoint to another without traversing thephysical space between them.

3. It will enable us to create better fuels for nuclearfission.



(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3


The satellite Oceansat - 2 launched by India helpsin

1. Estimating the water vapour content in theatmosphere.

2. Predicting the onset of monsoons.

3. Monitoring the pollution of coastal waters.


(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Which among the following do/does not belong/belongs to the GSM family of wirelesstechnologies?

(a) EDGE (b) LTE

(c) DSL (d) Both EDGE and LTE

Q. With reference to the treatment of canceroustumors, a tool called cyber knife has been makingthe news. In this context, which one of thefollowing statements is not correct?


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(a) It is a robotic image guided system.

(b) It delivers an extremely precise dose ofradiation.

(c) It has the capability of achieving sub -millimeter accuracy.

(d) It can map the spread of tumour in the body.

Hence it is important that the student not onlygoes through the basic principles but also keeps atrack of whatever is happening around him. Theinquisitive nature of student is bound to give him anedge over others.

In Chemistry, Periodic tables, important mineralsand their ores, etc. are important from prelims pointof view. Maximum questions will be pertaining tochemicals which are of economic significance. Thuscharacteristics of different compounds like Plaster ofParis, bleaching powder, etc. are of quite importance.Also the characteristics of the organic families mustbe kept in mind.

Let us take a look at the question asked inprevious years:

Q. Chlorination is a process used for waterpurification. The disinfecting action of chlorine ismainly due to

(a) The formation of hydrochloric acid whenchlorine is added to water.

(b) The formation of hypochlorous acid whenchlorine is added to water.

(c) The formation of nascent oxygen whenchlorine is added to water.

(d) The formation of hydrogen when chlorine isadded to water.

Biology, in general, will be the most importantsection in science. In Botany plant physiology, planttissues, plants with economic significance and geneticmodel of Mendel are important. In Zoology, humanphysiology (especially digestive system, circulatorysystem and reproductive system), genetics, variousdiseases and their control measures occupy the mostimportant place. For this too, students have to bequite update with the current affairs.

The questions asked in recent years include:

Q. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Viruses lack enzymes necessary for thegeneration of energy

2. Viruses can be cultured in any syntheticmedium.

3. Viruses are transmitted from one organism toanother by biological vectors only.



(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Which of the following diseases can be transmittedfrom one person to another through tattooing?

1. Chikungunya 2. Hepatitis B

3. HIV-AIDS



(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Consider the following minerals

1. Calcium 2. Iron

3. Sodium

Which of the minerals given above is/are requiredby human body for the contraction of muscles?


(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Recombinant DNA technology (GeneticEngineering) allows genes to be transferred

1. across different species of plants

2. from animals to plants

3. from microorganisms to higher organisms



(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3


1. Every individual in the population is equallysusceptible host for Swine Flu.

2. Antibiotics have no role in the primarytreatment of Swine Flu.

3. To prevent the future spread of Swine Flu inthe epidemic area, the swine (pigs) must all beculled.

Which of the statement given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3.

Q. Which one of the following processes in thebodies of living organisms is a digestive process?

(a) Breakdown of proteins into amino acids

(b) Breakdown of glucose into CO2 and H2O.


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(c) Conversion of glucose into glycogen.

(d) Conversion of amino acids into proteins.Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Hepatitis B is several times more infectiousthan HIV/AIDS.

2. Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer.Which of the statement given above is/are correct?


(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q. Excessive release of the pollutant carbon monoxide(CO), into the air may produce a condition inwhich oxygen supply in the human bodydecreases. What causes this condition?

(a) When inhaled into the human body, CO isconverted into CO2.

(b) The inhaled CO has much higher affinity forhemoglobin as compared to oxygen.

(c) The inhaled CO destroys the chemicalstructure of hemoglobin.

(d) The inhaled CO adversely affects therespiratory centre in the brain.

Q. With regard to the transmission of the HumanImmunodeficiency Virus, which one of thefollowing statements is not correct?

(a) The chances of transmission from female tomale are twice as likely as from male to female.

(b) The chances of transmission are more if aperson suffers from other sexually transmittedinfections.

(c) An infected mother can transmit thepregnancy, at childbirth and by breast feeding.

(d) The risk of contracting infection fromtransfusion of infected blood is much higherthan an exposure to contaminated needle.

The questions indicate following trends.

1. More questions are being asked from thecurrent developments.

2. Human physiology has a major say in thequestions from biology.

3. The questions seek to judge the curiosity levelof the students and whether or not they areupdated with respect to their surroundings.

4. Questions from both theory as well as itsapplication are important.

Thus all these aspects must be kept in mind whilestudying. This is the only way how even a mediocrestudent can perform wonders in UPSC. One thingmust always be remembered that it is not the hardwork but intelligent hard work which creates adifference between success and failure.

Science & Technology

We are living in the age of technological revolu-tion. Communication technology has been revolution-ized through satellite-based information highways andother computerized information processing systems.Computers are now an integral part of our work pro-cessing technology. Such awe-inspiring high technol-ogy developments have enhanced the capacity andtransformed the working of governments to e-gover-nance which is in present context is central to everygovernmental organization.

Under such scenario, it is obvious that govern-ment requires such bureaucrats (or technocrats) whohave firsthand knowledge of present gadgets andinformation in the field of science and technology aswell as aptitude to understand future developments.All this has brought about change in the recruitmentstrategy of personnel agencies which can also be seenin the recent change of nature and syllabus by UPSCin the preliminary stage of civil services examination.Similar changes have been seen in mains stage wherequestions regarding science and technology have in-creased a lot in the past few years.

Present pattern highlights the increased weightageof science and technology in Paper-1(general studies)of preliminary stage. Earlier, there was no clear cutmention of science and technology in the syllabus forPT stage. The only thing which was given was:

"General science i.e. questions on general sciencewhich will cover general appreciation and under-standing of science including matters of everyday ob-servation and experience, as may be expected of awell educated person who has not made a specialstudy of any particular scientific discipline." Ques-tions in the PT were asked relating to general appli-cation of principles of physics and chemistry andknowledge of biology. Major part was covered bybiology questions. Very few or none of the questionswere asked from S & T which were also more relatedto current affairs.


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But since 2011 around 30 % of paper-1 is directlyrelated to science and technology which perhaps isenough to decide success or failure of any student.Candidates who earlier used to cover this part inmains stage only now have to include it in their plansright from the initial stages. Thus a comprehensivestrategy has to be followed by the students.

Each component of S & T has multiple dimen-sions which have to be dealt with by the aspirants.This requires a broad level of reading and under-standing of each part. No boundaries or mindsets(presumptions) should be made and one should al-ways be ready to take up new things. Science andtechnology is an ever changing, most dynamic part ofthis exam which makes it necessary for the studentsto always remain updated. Any topic, for examplenuclear technology has two parts, that is, theory andapplication. Theory is the static part which shouldbe conquered in the initial period and applicationwhich is dynamic in nature must be a regular partof the preparations.

Dealing with this section has always been a toughnut to crack for civil service candidates, majority ofwhom are from arts and commerce background. Butinterviews and discussions with successful candi-dates have shown that a proper strategy with correctattitude can lead to very high marks fetched from thissegment of examination.

The questions asked in recent years include:

Q. Recombinant DNA technology (GeneticEngineering) allows genes to be transferred

1. across different species of plants2. from animals to plants3. from microorganisms to higher organisms


(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q. Mycorrhizal biotechnology has been used inrehabilitating degraded sites because mycorrhizaenables the plants to

1. resist drought and increase absorptive area2. tolerate extremes of PH3. Resist disease infestation


(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Interpersonal Skills IncludingCommunication Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills that a personuses to interact with other people. It is also sometimescalled communication skills. Positive interpersonalskills increase the productivity of the organizationsince the number of conflicts are reduced. It alsoallows communication to be easy and comfortable.

Some ways to improve interpersonal skills are:

1. Think positive and maintain goodrelationship.

2. Do not criticize others or yourself and bepatient.

3. Develop the practice of listening; 80% listeningand 20% talking is excellent.

4. Be sensitive to others and treat others andtheir experience with respect.

5. Praise and compliment the people andsubordinates when they deserve it.

6. Be cheerful and make the people smile.

7. Do not complain and look for solutions.

8. Treat your team members and colleagues asfriends and not as strangers or subordinates.

Communication: Communication is the transferof information from a sender to a receiver.Communication is generally understood as spoken orwritten words. But in reality, it is more than that. Itis the sum total of directly or indirectly, unconsciouslyor consciously transmitted words, attitudes, feelings,actions, gestures and tones. A slight lift in the browis often more expressive disapproval than hundredsof words put together.

The importance of communication inadministration can be judged from the followingpoints:

1. Communication is required to disseminate thegoals and the objectives of the organization.

2. It helps the administration in arriving at vitaldecisions.

3. Communication helps in planning andcoordination.

4. It is a tool of supervision and control.

5. It is a basic tool for motivation and an increasein the morale of the employees.


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6. It bolsters the maintenance of good humanrelations in the organization.

2013 Questions

1. You are a teacher in a University and are settinga question paper on a particular subject. One ofyour colleagues, whose son is preparing for theexamination on that subject, comes to you andinforms you that it is his son's last chance to passthat examination and whether you could helphim by indicating what questions are going to bein the examination. In the past, your colleaguehad helped you in another matter. Your colleagueinforms you that his son will suffer fromdepression if he fails in this examination. In suchcircumstances, what would you do?(a) In view of the help he had given you, extend

your help to him.(b) Regret that you cannot be of any help to him.(c) Explain to your colleague that this would be

violating the trust of the University authoritiesand you are not in a position to help him.

(d) Report the conduct of your colleague to thehigher authorities.

2. While travelling in a Delhi-registered commercialtaxi from Delhi to an adjacent city (another State),your taxi driver informs you that as he has nopermit for running the taxi in that city, he willstop at its Transport Office and pay the prescribedfee of Rs. forty for a day. While paying the fee atthe counter you find that the transport clerk istaking an extra fifty rupees for which no receiptis being given. You are in a hurry for your meeting.In such circumstances, what would you do?

(a) Go up to the counter and ask the clerk to giveback the money which he has illegally taken.

(b) Do not interfere at all as this is a matterbetween the taxi driver and the tax authorities.

(c) Take note of the incident and subsequentlyreport the matter to the concerned authorities.

(d) Treat it as a normal affair and simply forgetabout it.

Decision Making

It can be regarded as the mental processesresulting in the relation of a course of actionamong several alternative scenarios.

UPSC has not applied negative marking to the questionsof decision making because decision making is based on

individual logical & verbal ability and can vary from personto person. Thus attempting them is the safest part in paperbut proper understanding of the question is must.

Decision Making Process

(a) Objectives must be established first and placedin order of preference.

(b) Alternative actions must be developed.(c) The alternative that is able to achieve all the

objectives is the tentative decision.(d) The tentative decision is evaluated for more

possible consequences.

Decision making steps:

1st Step : Outline your goal and outcome.

2nd Step : Gather data. This will help the decisionmakers having actual evidence to help them come upwith a solution.

3rd Step : Brainstorm to develop alternatives.Coming up with more than one solution enables youto see which one can actually work.

4th Step : List pros and cons of each alternative,with the help of which, you can eliminate the solutionsthat have more cons than pros, making your decisioneasier.

5th Step : Make the decision by picking the onethat has many pros, and the one that everyone canagree with.

6th Step : Immediately take action. Once thedecision is picked, you should implement it right away.

7th Step : Learn from and reflect on the decisionmaking. This step allows you to gauge whereyou were right or wrong while implementing thedecision.

Sample Questions

1. You have been asked to give an explanation fornot attending an important official meeting. Yourimmediate boss who has not informed you aboutthe meeing is noe putting pressure on you not topplace an allegation against him/her. You would...

(a) Send a written reply explaning the fact.(b) Seek an appointment with the top boss to

explain the situation.(c) Admit your fault to save the situation.(d) Put the responsibility on the coordinator of

the meting for not informing.


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2. A local thug (bad element) has started illegalconstruction on your vacant plot. He has refusedyour request to vacate and threatened you of direconsequences in case you do not sell the propertyat a cheap price to him. You would...

(a) Sell the property at a cheap price to him.(b) Go to the police for necessary action.(c) Ask for help from your neighbours.(d) Negotiate with the goon to get a higher price.

3. You have to accomplish a very important task foryour Headquarters within the next two days.Suddenly you meet with an accident. Your officeinsists that you complete the task. You would....

(1) Ask for an extension of deadline.(2) Inform Headquarters of your inability to finish

on time.(3) Suggest alternate person to Headquarters who

may to the needful.(4) Stay away till you recover.

2013 Questions

1. A person lives in a far off village which is almosttwo hours by bus. The villager's neighbour is avery powerful landlord who is trying to occupythe poor villager's land by force. You are theDistrict Magistrate and busy in a meeting calledby a local Minister. The villager has come all theway, by bus and on foot, to see you and give anapplication seeking protection from the powerfullandlord. The villager keeps on waiting outsidethe meeting hall for an hour. You come out of themeeting and are rushing to another meeting. Thevillager follows you to submit his application.What would you do?

a) Tell him to wait for another two hours till youcome back from your next meeting.

b) Tell him that the matter is actually to be dealtby a junior officer and that he should give theapplication to him.

c) Call one of your senior subordinate officersand ask him to solve the villager's problem.

d) Quickly take the application from him, askhim a few relevant questions regarding hisproblem and then proceed to the meeting.

2. There is a shortage of sugar in your District whereyou are the District Magistrate. The Governmenthas ordered that only a maximum amount of 30kg sugar is to be released for wedding celebrations.

A son of your close friend is getting married andyour friend requests you to release at least 50 kgsugar for his son's wedding. He expressesannoyance when you tell him about theGovernment's restrictions on this matter. He feelsthat since you are the District Magistrate you canrelease any amount. You do not want to spoilyour friendship with him. In such circumstances,how would you deal with the situation?

a) Release the extra amount of sugar which yourfriend has requested for

b) Refuse your friend the extra amount andstrictly follow the rules.

c) Show your friend the copy of the Governmentinstructions and then persuade him to acceptthe lower amount as prescribed in the rules.

d) Advise him to directly apply to the allottingauthority and inform him that you do notinterfere in this matter.

3. You are in-charge of implementing the FamilyPlanning programme in an area where there is astrong opposition to the present policy. You wantto convince the residents of the need for keepingsmall families. What would be the best way ofcommunicating this message?

a) By logically explaining to the residents theneed for family planning to improve the healthand living standards.

b) By encouraging late marriages and properspacing of children.

c) By offering incentives for adopting familyplanning devices.

d) By asking people who have been sterilized orare using contraceptives to directly talk to theresidents.

General Mental Ability

In the current scenario, one needs to master theart of General Mental Ability for cracking any goodcompetition. We get good number of questions onMental Ability in exams of Public Sector, Bank PO, bigB-School entrance and now in IAS as well.

For mastering General Mental Ability, firstly weshould know that what are the types of questions andwhat are the basics of the same. In mental ability, theprime thing which is being tested is your familiarity


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with the numbers. The commonly asked questions arethe basics of Number Theory, basic Arithmetic, Time& Distance, Ratio & Proportion, Permutation andCombination and Probability. Now, if we look at thesetopics, all of us have read and practiced these topicsin good length at high school level. But because of ourhabit and obligations of using calculator after thathas forced us to forget all those basic concepts ofarithmetic and has deviated us from the basics ofmathematics.

Regarding how to improve this, there is a verybasic thing that we were taught by our parents was"practice makes a man perfect". This is very true aboutthe Mental Ability at this stage. We just need topractice these basic concepts religiously to master theseconcepts. And believe me, there is no other way tosuccess.

To sum up all, if we want to ensure a good scorein mental ability and a better second paper of IAS thisyear then probably, we need to start practicing todayand we need to clear all our basics and concepts.NCERT class sixth to tenth are the best books suitedfor these preparation. Last but not the least, practiceas many sample papers as you can along with aproper feedback and doubt clearing of each and everypaper.

Sample Questions for General Mental Ability:

1. There are four routes to travel from city A to cityB and and six routes from city B to city C. Howmany routes are possible to travel from the city Ato C?

(a) 24 (b) 12

(c) 10 (d) 8

2. A contract on construction job specifies a penaltyfor delay in completion of the work beyond acertain date is as follows: Rs. 200 for the first day,Rs. 250 forthe second day, Rs. 300 for the third day etc., thepenalty for each succeding day being Rs. 50 morethan that of the proceeding day. How muchpenalty should the contractor pay if he delays thework by 10 days?

(a) Rs. 4950 (b) Rs. 4250

(c) Rs. 3600 (d) Rs. 650

3. Consider the following figure and answer the itemthat follows:

S

P2

O P1

In figure shown above, OP1 and OP2 are two planemirrors kept perpendicular to each other, S is thedirection of a beam of light falling on the morrorOP1. The direction of the reflected beam of lightfrom the mirror OP2 will be...

(a) 0.6 (b) 0.7

(c) 0.9 (d) 1/3

2013 Questions

1. A train travels at a certain average speed for adistance of 63 km and then travels a distance of72 km at an average speed of 6 km/hr more thanits original speed. If it takes 3 hours to completethe total journey, what is the original speed of thetrain in km/hr?

a) 24 b) 33

c) 42 d) 66

2. A thief running at 8 km/hr is chased by apoliceman whose speed is 10 km/hr. If the thiefis 100 m ahead of the policeman, then the timerequired for the policeman to catch the thief willbe

a) 2 min b) 3 min

c) 4 min d) 6 min

3. In a rare coin collection, there is one gold coin forevery three non-gold coins. 10 more gold coinsa r eadded to the collection and the ratio of gold coinsto non-gold coins would be 1: 2. Based on theinformation; the total number of corns in thecollection now becomes

a) 90 b) 80

c) 60 d) 50


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4. A sum of Rs. 700 has to b used to give seven cashprizes to the students of a school for their overallacademic performance. If each prize is RS. 20 lessthan its preceding prize, what is the least valueof the prize?

a) Rs. 30 b) Rs. 40c) Rs. 60 d) Rs. 80

Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency

Data Interpretation: In these questions data ispresented either in the form of a table or a bar chartor a pie chart or a line graph or as a combination ofone of these formats. Following each of these datapresentations, there will be 4 to 6 questions. You areexpected to answer the questions by interpreting thedata given in the table or graph.

The Data Interpretation section of C-SAT isprobably closest in resemblance to the kind ofproblems one will be dealing in real life situations. Ittests one's decision-making ability and speed usinglimited input. Start off with topical tests in the initialstage of preparation.

This is the calculation intensive portion of thesection. It consists of a myriad of graphs, charts andtables fromwhich you will have to glean and analyse data. Thekey to cracking this area is to quickly identify the keypieces ofdata that you will require to work on the questionsasked. Sometimes questions are formed to try andbewilder students with a large amount of data, mostof it unnecessary.

Another interesting feature of DI that you as astudent can use to your advantage is that, usually,not all questions in a set are of equal difficulty.Specifically, most sets have a 'counting' type ofquestion (How many companieshave profits more than x%, how many people haveincomes less than Rs. Y etc.). Most of these questionscan be solved without calculation but by closeinspection of the data presented.

Data Sufficiency: Data Sufficiency problemsusually take the form of a logical puzzle, and are inthe form of a question followed by two statements.You need to answer whether you can solve the problemusing the statements individually, or using both, or

whether you cannot solve the problem using theinformation provided. The key to answeringsuch problems is to pretend like one statement doesnot exist, try solving the problem, and thenpretend like the other statement does not exist and trysolving the problem again. These problems aregenerally tricky, and need lots of practice.

Example: What was John's average driving speedin miles per hour during a 15-minute interval?

(1) He drove 10 miles during this interval.

(2) His maximum speed was 50 miles per hourand his minimum speed was 35 miles perhour during this interval.

(a) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but state-ment (2) alone is not sufficient.

(b) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but state-ment (1) alone is not sufficient.

(c) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient,but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.

(d) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

(e) Statement (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOTsufficient.

Ans. (a)

2013 Questions

Study the two figures given below and answer thefive items that follow:

Figure 1 : Number of Professors in selecteddisciplines in University by sex


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group 35 - 44?

a) 18 b) 16c) 14 d) 12

2. Which one of the following diciplines has thehighest ratio of males to females?

a) Physics b) Mathematicsc) Chemistry d) Economics

3. What percentage of all Psychology professors arefemales?

a) 40% b) 50%

c) 60% d) 70%

4. If the number of female Physics professors in theage group 25 - 34 equals 25% of all the Physicsprofessors in that age group, then what is thenumber of male Physics professors in the agegroup 25 - 34

a) 9 b) 6

c) 3 d) 2

5. If the Psychology professors in the Universityconstitute 2% of all the professors in the University,then what is the number of professors in theUniversity?

a) 400 b) 500

c) 600 d) 700

English Language ComprehensionSkills

Here the candidates knowledge of Englishlanguage related to Grammer & Vocabulary will be

tested. The passages under this category don't haveHindi Version as these are to test the comprehensionof English Language.

2013 Questions

Passage - I

Seven-year-old Jim came home from the park with-out his new bicycle. "An old man and a little boyborrowed it," he explained. "They are going to bringit back at four o'clock." His parents were upset that hehad given his expensive new bicycle, but were se-cretly proud of his kindness and faith. Came fouro'clock, no bicycle. The parents were anxious. But at4:30, the door bell rang, and there stood a happy manand a boy, with the bicycle and a box of chocolates.Jim suddenly disappeared into his bedroom, and thencame running out. "All right," he said, after examin-ing the bicycle. ''You can have your watch back!"

1. When Jim came home without his bicycle, hisparents

a) were angry with him.

b) were worried.

c) did not feel concerned.

d) were eager to meet the old man and the littleboy.

2. Jim returned the watch to the old man and thelittle boy because

a) they gave him chocolates.

b) his father was proud of him.

c) he was satisfied with the condition of hisbicycle.

d) they were late only by 30 minutes.

Passage - 2

It was already late when we set out for the nexttown, which according to the map was about fifteenkilometres away on the other side of the hills. Therewe felt that we would find a bed for the night. Dark-ness fell soon after we left the village, but luckily wemet no one as we drove swiftly along the narrowwinding road that led to the hills. As we climbedhigher, it became colder and rain began to fall, mak-ing it difficult at times to see the road. I asked John,my companion, to drive more slowly. After we had


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travelled for about twenty kilometres, there was stillno sign of the town which was marked on the map.We were beginning to get worried. Then without warn-ing, the car stopped and we found we had run out ofpetrol.

1. The author asked John to drive more slowlybecause

a) the road led to the hills.

b) John was an inexperienced driver.

c) the road was not clearly visible.

d) they were in wilderness.

2. The travellers set out for the town although it wasgetting dark because

a) they were in a hurry.

b) the next town was a short distance away andwas a hill-resort.

c) they were in wilderness.

d) the next town was a short distance away andpromised a good rest for the night.

3. The travellers were worried after twenty kilometres because

a) it was a lonely countryside.

b) they probably feared of having lost their way.

c) the rain began to fall

d) it was getting colder as they drove.

Comprehension & English Language Comprehen-sion are two different things.

Comprehension will check candidates assimila-tion power of contents whereas English LanguageComprehension will check the basic knowledge ofEnglish of candidate in terms of vocabulary &grammer.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the classic entry in CSATsyllabus as it is not to test your language skill, but totest your moral and ethical aptitude, understandingof government programmes and policies, socialproblems, ability to comprehend boring reports etc.

As an IAS aspirant you are expected to read,assimilate reason, draw inferences and apply yourlearning to different situations. As administrator youwill have to read reports, infer, make strategies andplan. As the time you spend on these documentsimpacts the efficiency and productivity of your

division, you must find a way to work speedily andclear the tasks as per requirements and not be thebottleneck where work comes to a standstill.

You wonder how you can enhance yourcompetence and reduce time spent, whether ondeciphering reports, documents etc. the way to improveyour reading comprehension is evidently making ahabit of reading at least a few pages of editorials indaily newspapers such as the Hindu, the Economistor any other daily.

2013 Questions

Read the following passage and answer the itemsthat follow. Your answers to these items shouldbe based on the passages only.

Malnutrition most commonly occurs between theages of six months and two years. This happensdespite the child's food requirements being less thanthat of an older child. Malnutrition is often attributedto poverty, but it has been found that even in house-holds where adults eat adequate quantities of food,more than 50 per cent of children-under-five do notconsume enough food. The child's dependence onsomeone else to feed him/her is primarily responsiblefor the malnutrition. Very often the mother is workingand the responsibility of feeding the young child isleft to an older sibling. It is therefore crucial to in-crease awareness regarding the child's food needsand how to satisfy them.

1. According to the passage, malnutrition in childrencan be reduced

a) if the children have regular intake of food.

b) after they cross the age of five.

c) if the food needs of younger children areknown.

d) if the responsibility of feeding younger childrenis given to adults.

2. According to the author, poverty is not the maincause of malnutrition, but the fact that

I. taking care of younger ones is not a priorityfor working mothers.

II. awareness of nutritional needs is notpropagated by the Public Health authorities.

Select the correct answer using the code givenbelow:

a) I only b) II only

c) Both I and II d) Neither I nor II


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Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability

Logical Reasoning candidates ability to analyzethe logical foundation of a given argument. Where asAnalytical ability is the ability to visualize, artiulate& solve problems & make decisions that make somebased on availaible information.

2013 Questions

Examine carefully the following statements andanswer the three items that follow:

Out of four friends A, B, C and D,

I. A and B play football and cricket,

II. B and C play cricket and hockey,

III. A and D play basketball and football,

IV. C and D play hockey and basketball.

1. Who does not play hockey?

a) D b) C

c) B d) A

2. Who plays football, basketball and hockey?

a) D b) C

c) B d) A

3. Which game do B, C and D play?

a) Basketball b) Hockey

c) Cricket d) Football

A, B, C, D and E belong to five different cities P,Q, R, Sand T (not necessarily in that order). Eachone of them comes from a different city. Further itis given that:

I. B and C do not belong to Q.

II. B and E do not belong to P and R.

III. A and C do not belong to R, S and T.

IV. D and E do not belong to Q and T.

Which one of the following statements is notcorrect?

a) C belongs to P b) D belongs to R

c) A belongs to Q d) B belongs to S

Regular practice of questions can help the studentin analyzing & depicting the data in the figure. MostlyStudents think that these questions has to be solvedon the spot based on situations but practice is mustto score a good marks in these types of questions.Once the information has been depicted questionsrelated to it can be solved easily.

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